Dress for Success: The Yogi's Attire

I think it’s time to dust the cobwebs in this blog. It has been more than half a year since I wrote something in it. I did a bit of editing or touch-up though, but not that much.

Let’s cut to the chase, what I have in mind is actually is about a yogi’s attire during vipassana retreats. I really need to write this because I have seen a number of yogis, the seasoned and the new ones (those who have not done an intensive retreat before) come in with all kinds of attire which are more suitable for a yoga class or pilates rather than for meditation retreat. Moreover the retreat attire is different from attending a Dhamma Camp or even your weekly meditation session.

By the time the yogi reaches the retreat centre, we can’t really do much about the attire even if it’s not suitable. We can’t ask them to change because usually that’s all they have in their luggage. We can’t be like ‘This cannot, that also cannot’ then what are they going to wear? Their birthday suit? Don’t think so! So we have to address the issue before they reach the retreat centre.

Attire during a retreat, whether you realize it or not, has certain a connection with the mental defilement and the stability of the mind – in oneself and others around you. Therefore, in one way or another, it does contribute to one’s progress in meditation.

Let’s take a look into some ‘fancy’ clothing which I have seen. A good-looking lady yogi came with a body-hugging yoga pants. With the tightness, the curvature from waist down, well, it’s quite pronounced. And that’s not all. Just below the pant’s waistline on her behind (above her buttock), there was a word printed on it. Now the problem starts here. A word or even a sentence by nature is to ‘invite’ somebody to see and read it. Some yogis, male and female, would surely read it. Usually the eyes would NOT just stay with the word. They would, conditionally, glide a bit downward to see the ‘asset’. Some, perhaps, might try a little harder to ‘read’! (as they don’t have their reading glasses). And mind you, this is not the end yet. Over the days, those eyes that were stung with desire and lust (and some with jealousy and envy), would wish to a take a peek at ‘it’ again and again – perhaps every time she passes by. The mind would go into high gear of frenzy proliferation of impure thoughts.

Messages printed on the t-shirts and blouses, whether front or back (especially the front), are also inappropriate for a retreat. These include messages that contain catchy Buddhist phrases like ‘A Moment of Mindfulness, A Moment of Wakefulness’ or from the verses of the Dhammapada. You can argue that they are great reminders. Yes, and I cannot argue with that. On the other side, as I said, they are inviting somebody to read it - especially when a yogi is bored and not developing much. These yogis would start to read everything they could find - the messages on wall posters or pictures or on other yogis’ clothing. Some would read them repeatedly over the days. And some would start to write into their booklets. These actions usually could lead to more restless mind. It also may lead to the annoyance of others like ‘What are you looking at?’ - if you get my drift.

Another thing is the color of the attire. I have seen pink, bright red, fluorescence green and pink etc. Fluorescence during retreat? Please, oh please! For goodness sake, what are they trying to attract? Fluorescence colours are helpful when you are in the middle of the ocean and desperately needs to be seen from 10km away so that some kind fellow would pluck you out from there. I have also seen yogis who dress appropriately but once they put on their jackets, cardigans, shawls or other outfits, then we would see rainbow colours shimmering in the meditation hall or the dining hall. I have seen a male yogi who wore a black sarung (longyi) with a brightly painted dragon sprawling across it. I thought the sarung could do better as a framed-up picture on a wall rather than as a sarung. And next time if any yogi were to come and wear a floral Hawaiian shirt and say ‘Aloha’ – that I will go berserk!

I can go on with more of ‘shock and awe’ examples but my intention here is to show you that the attire does affect our minds in way that we may not realized it. I want you to read on my proposal about proper attire during a vipassana retreat.

A few considerations we should take into account. Comfort, non-attractiveness, non-disturbing and simplicity are the general rule of thumb.

T-shirts, blouses, meditation pants and sarung should be comfortable, neither too tight (read: body-hugging) nor too loose (read: over-exposing). Those made of cotton are usually very comfortable. In addition, they should not be too thin that others can almost see through it. Some prefer a mixture of cotton and synthetic material. The advantages are that they are easier to dry after washing and don’t crumpled up like pure cotton. Short-sleeves t-shirts are better in the lowlands that can be hot and humid. Long-sleeves are more suitable in the cooler climate.

White color or near white are the preferred colour for t-shirts and blouses. No wordings or Dhamma messages, just plain white. These include also the shawls, jackets, cardigans etc – which many of us don’t take into account. It is good to take along a white long button-up or zip-up long sleeve shirt with collar - a good consideration if you wish to prevent mosquitoes and other insects crowding around you. In short, whatever you wear above your waistline, keep it to plain white colour.

For meditation pants and sarung, the color depends on where you go. Usually in meditation centres in Malaysia, most yogis prefer plain brown, dark saffron or cocoa colour. In Thailand or Thai-tradition monasteries, they prefer white. The Burmese way is brown or cocoa color. All these colors are not too attractive for most people. The length can be somewhere between middle of the shinbone and the ankle. Male yogis in Malaysia who like to wear sarung should try to get plain dark colored ones but they are not easy to find here and mostly they are the checkered ones. In Myanmar it is much easier. For meditation pants, usually yogis would tailor made them. Only one or two vipassana centres in Malaysia that I know that actually sells them.

We should avoid fully synthetic material like rayon, nylons etc. Track pants and the tracksuits are usually made of these materials and they look like soft plastics. For example, the track pants - they create a lot of noises when you walk due to the friction of rubbing of the pants in between the legs (no pun intended). You may not notice these noises at home but in the meditation hall, it is a quiet place and every little noise is enhanced. Most probably you might be disturbing others without you knowing it.

The subject of the attire is to bring to a life of simplicity while you are in a retreat. If you like to wear t-shirts then bring all the same kind and color, one is no different from the other. So too with the meditation pants, blouses etc. Here, you reduce the choices of what to wear and they will become your meditation uniform. Therefore, no matter how you mix and match your upper and lower outfit, they will still be the same. It is a lifestyle of simplicity compare to the lifestyle at home where choosing, mixing and matching the attire for the right occasions when searching the wardrobe can be a daunting task. When a lifestyle is simplified, it is easier for the mind to calm down and that is helpful for the meditation

These are my perception of a proper (and improper) yogis’ attire. For some, the subject of attire may sound conservative but these are collation of my experiences as a lay yogi in the past and as well as other lay yogis in the past and present. I don’t think I can enforce the dressing code as I am moving from place to place to teach retreats but I wish those who have read this article will take in consideration, as the proper meditation attire will be helpful for the yogis in the long run (especially on the level of mental perception).

If you have comments or additional info, write in the comments section and let me know your thoughts. Bye for now. Oh yes, Happy New Year! Whatever you wish or do may it bring fruition and happiness to you and your love ones.

Ps – ‘Dress for Success’ is a name of a song by Roxette, a Swedish pop duo. It hit the charts in late 80’s. I used to love their songs. In the early 90’s, one of early mornings during my STPM exams (equivalent to A-levels in Malaysia), the song was aired on the radio while I was dressing up. I felt so charged up and confident. I thought I was going score for that day’s paper. How wrong I was! And the STPM results? Not a single A!! D@mn!!